Stock-guard.



SI P. POSTER a H. V. STEVENS.

STOCK GUARD.

Y APPLIGATION FILED JUNE 22, 1910.

Patented Fb. 7, 1911.

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S. P. FOSTER L H. V. USTEVENS.

STOCK GUARD. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 22, 1910.

yPatented Feb. 7,1911.

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SAMUEL 1?. FOSTER AND HENRY V. STEVENS, OF EAST CHATTANOOGA, TENNESSEE.

STOCK-GUARD.

Application filed June 22, 1910.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. '7, 1911.

serial No. 568,343.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, SAMUEL P. FOSTER and HENRY V. S'rEvENs, both citizens of the United States, and residents of Fast Chattanooga, in the county of Hamilton and State of Tennessee, have invented a new and improved Stock-Guard, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact descript-ion.

The invention relates to animal guards and has for an object to provide a stock guard fo' railways and the like, to prevent animals from walking along the tracks and being struck b v trains. For the purpose mentioned, use is made of a platform having spaced members and -pivotally mounted on a tie, and a picket barrier mounted to swing upwardly on the platform when one end of the same is moved downwardly.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings constituting a part of this specication, in which similar characters of reference denote corresponding parts in all the views, and in which- LFigure 1 is a plan view of our invention, showing the same as applied to a railroad; Fig. 2 is a sectional view, taken on the line 22 in Fig. 1, the dotted lines disclosing our device in operative position; Fig. 3 is a seetional view take-n on the line 3 3 in Fig. 1; Fig. et is a sectional view, taken on the'line 4 1 in Fig. 1; Fig. 5 is a sectional view, taken on the line 5 5 in Fig. 1, and Fig. 6 is a vperspective view of one of the picket barriers constituting a part of our invention.

On a railroad 10, provided with ties 11, is disposed a tie 12, having pivotally mounted thereon a plaform 1S. rl`he platform 13 consists of a series of interchangeable sections 14, connected by suitable stirrups 15. The sections 14 comprise bars 16, connected by rods 17 and spaced apart by means of washers 18 and bearing spools 19. Curved, U-shaped picket barriers 20 are provided, having offset bearings 21 integral with the pickets, and the said pickets are mounted to swing on the section 14 by means of the bearings 21, one spring 22 of each picket being adapted to normally rest intermediate the spaced bars 16. Mounted to swing on the pickets 20 are hangers 23, having connection with an eyelet 2d secured to the tie 12. Suitable fenders 25 are provided and rigidly secured to the ties 11 intermediate the rails, as will easily be seen by referring to Fig. 1.

The various sections 14 are mounted on the tie 12 by bearings 26 mounted on bearing supports 27, at the ends of the sections 14. The ties 11 and 12 are held together by end braces 28 secured at the end of the ties.

In the operation of our stock guard, when the same is in normal position, the various parts are disposed as shown in solid lines in Fig. 2, the curved pickets being adapted to rest intermediate the bars 16, beneath the upper flange of the rails 27aM of the railroad 10, so that no obstructions are offered to a train passing over the rails 27a. If, however, an animal, such as a cow or the like, steps on the platform 13, on the end opposite the barrier supporting end, that end of the platform immediately moves downward, owing to the weight of the animal, and consequently the pickets 2O will move upwardly, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2. With the pickets in this position, the animal is prevented from moving along the track and naturally will avoid the barrier and move away from the track. Vhen the animal moves off from the platform, the weight of the pickets at the other end of the same causes the picketend of the platform to move downwardly, the other end moving upwardly, and, as will be understood, the said stock guard is returned to its normal position with the pickets disposed intermediate the spaced bars 16 and below the level of the upper flanges of the rails 27a.

If it should happen at any time that one or more of the pickets are bent so that the curved end projects upwardly beyond the height of the rails, when the said picket is struck by a passing train or any great force moving along the track, it simply bends backward and is snapped from connection with the platform 13, thus injuring only the previously bent picket and not the entire platform, as is usually the case with most stock guards. rlhe fenders 25, disposed between the rails, are provided to further protect the platform and adjacent parts from any injury.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that a perfect stock guard is provided, adapted to operate automatically, and so placed as to be perfectly secure with respect to passing trains, when the said stock guard is in normalposition.

Although we have shown a particular construction for the purpose of describing our device, it will be understood that the scope of' our invention is defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described our invention, we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

l. A stock guard comprising spaced members constituting a platform pivotally mounted on a tie, curved U-shaped pickets mounted to swing at one end of the platform and removably engaging the same, and hangers secured to the tie and pivotally engaging the pickets.

Q. A stock guard comprising a series of interchangeable sections connected by hangers and constituting a platform, centrally mounted to swing on a tie, and curved pickets mounted to swing on the platform and connected with the tie, to move the pickets upwardly when an end of the platform is moved downwardly.

3. A stock guard comprising a platform having spaced bars pivotally connected to a tie, curved pickets having oHset bearings and mounted to swing on the platform, and hangers secured to the tie and pivotally engaging the pickets, the said pickets being adapted to normally rest intermediate the said bars.

4l. In a stock guard, a plurality of ties rigidly secured by transverse braces, interchangeable sections mounted to swing on the ties, a picket barrier mounted to swing on lthe sections and curved fenders mounted intermediate the rails, on the outer ties, and for substantially protecting the picket barrier.

ln testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

SAMUEL P. FOSTER. HENRY V. STEVENS.

litnesses SAM. M. VILsoN, E. C. Cori-ini'. 

